Henry c



Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

CARD FILE.

' H. 0. 'YEISER.

(No Model.)-

W/TNES'sES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. YEISER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE COMPANY, OFSAME PLACE.

CARD-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,632, dated April13, 1897. Application filed February 3, 1896. Serial No. 577,815. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY C.YEISER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Files, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates, primarily, to files for index-cards for use inlibraries, offices, and other places where cards are used for purposesof indexing or reference; and it has for its object the improvedconstruction of such files whereby their case of manipulation, security,and efficiency are increased.

The novelty of my invention will be herei inafter set forth, andspecifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a card-fileembodying my invention and partly filled with cards. Fig. 2isalongitudinal central sectional view of Fig. 1 in side elevation. Fig.3 is a transverse sectional view in detail on the dotted line 00 w ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation in detail of the lock mechanismfor the filing-rod. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail of thefollower-support and associated parts. Fig. 6 is an enlarged insideelevation of the spring mechanism for the filing-rod.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts inall the figures.

In its preferred form of construction the file is a drawer with bottomA, side walls B, and front and rear walls C and D, respectively. Theinterior width of these drawers, which are fitted and slide in aprotecting case or cabinet made for the purpose, is just su fficient toreceive the cards E, which stand on edge transversely of the drawer andare separated by other higher cards F, having numerals, letters, orother index matter on their projecting ends to properly space andclassify the cards E. All of the cards are normally held in place in thedrawer by a filing-rod G, extending through perforations near the bottomof the cards and through the front wall C of the drawer, where itsprojecting end is provided with an operating button or thumbpiece a.When the filing-rod is pushed entirely in, its rear end is confined inany suitable bearing-socket b in the rear wall D, as seen in Fig. 2. Onthe front wall C is a springcasing H, Figs. 2 and 6, with an elongatedaperture 0 for thepassage of a flattened portion of the rod withexterior shoulders, which, when the rod is pushed entirely in, ispartially turned by the action of the springs e to bring said shouldersagainst theinner wall of the casing H to hold the rod locked againstaccidental withdrawal, substantially as in prior patent to Dom, No.525,947, of September 11, 1894. However, to hold the rod enti relylocked, so that no one but the custodian of the drawer can withdraw it,I provide in the front wall of the drawer a look I, Figs. 2 and 4,having a removable key f, which actuatesa bolt g, having a slot h in itsend, which, when projected, straddles the rod G in a circumferentialgroove 2 in the same, and secu rely holds the rod from withdrawal, aswill be readily understood. Upon withdrawing the bolt by turning the keythe rod can be partially turned and withdrawn in the usual manner forthe purpose of removing cards or inserting new ones.

The lock maybe of any well-known or suitable construction, and the onlyessential to this feature of my invention is that its bolt shall engagethe filing-rod when properly inserted in such manner as to prevent thewithdrawal of the latter.

The remaining feature of my invention relates to the card-follower forholding the cards upright and compressed in the case. The follower is ablock J, preferably wedge-shaped and fitted transversely within thedrawer and having a slightly-enlarged aperture through which thefiling-rod G passes, said enlarged aperture allowin the block J to haveaslight vertical or rocking movement on the rod G to permit the shiftingof said block or follower to its various positions. Its bottom edgerests on the bottom of the drawer, as shown, and it has secured upon itsrear face a metal strip j, whose lower end extends down into a slot isin the bottom of the drawer, which slot is preferably directly under thefiling-rod and extends the whole length of the drawer. In this slot is arod K parallel to the rod G and whose ends are permanently secured tothe front and rear ends of the drawer in any suitable manner. This rod Kpasses snugly through a perforation Z in a downward extension of thestrip j, and a spring m, Fig. 3, of any suitable construction, carriedby the follower at a point somewhat removed from the strip j, bearsagainst the bottom A in such manner as to tip the follower sufiicientlyto cause the edges of the perforation Z to bind or pinch upon the rod Ksufficiently to lock the follower in any of its adjusted positions. Tomove the follower either forward or back, it is only necessary to pressit down, as shown by the solid lines, Fig. 5, when the spring in will becompressed and the edges of the perforationl will cease to bind 0n therod K, thus permitting the follower to be slid back or forward on thefiling-rod to any point desired, when, upon removing the pressure, the srin will tip the follower and cause it to be locked to the rod K, aswill be readily understood. It is to be observed that while the followeris normally locked to the rod K it is never'locked to the filing-rod G,and that the latter can be withdrawn or inserted without unlocking thefollower from the rod K.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a card-file, thecombination of the longitudinally-removable filing-rod, a follower freeto slide thereon and having a limited vertical movement on saidfiling-rod, a second rod parallel with the filing-rod and engaged by aperforated lug or projection on the follower, whereby the latter whentipped is gripped to said last-named rod,.substantially as described.

2. In a card-file, the combination of the longitudinally-removablefiling-rod, a follower free to slide thereon, a second rod parallel withthe filing-rod and confined in a slot in the base of the file, aperforated lug carried by the follower and embracing the second rod, anda spring carried by the follower and bearing against the base of thefile, whereby the follower is held normally locked to the second rod inany of its adjusted posit-ions, substantially as described.

HENRY O. YEISER. Witnesses:

J THoMsoN ORoss, WILLIAM A. FAY.

